Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again - Henri Cartier-Bresson

A lesson I have learnt many times when out in the field is that always keep your camera switched on! I missed many special moments which I will probably never get the chance to ever photograph again. Often people photograph a scene and switch their cameras off while they are still in the sighting. This is also a mistake because just when you think there’s not much else to photograph, the animal surprises you and you will not be ready. On that note I hope you enjoy this week’s Monochrome Monday.

A moment where leaving your camera switched on pays off. A quick shot of a very shy Common Reedbuck before it ran off.

This is often the only part of a leopard you get a glimpse of when they are walking through dense vegetation. Their white tipped tail serves as a good follow me sign for their youngsters through tall grass. Even if this is all you might see in a leopard sighting, make sure to keep your camera ready to shoot for more creative shots.

A young giraffe follows its mother closely as they make their way towards a waterhole.

A Spotted Hyena chews on the remains of an old kill. Hyenas play a vital part in the ecosystem as one of the “cleaners” of the bush.

A buffalo lifts its head up into the wind to smell for any potential dangers before moving. During this sighting the buffalo were just grazing and moving with their heads down, and did not provide for great photographic opportunities. But for a second or two this buffalo lifted its head up and I was ready to shoot.

A Dwarf Mongoose stands guard at the top of a termite mound, watching for any threats close by while the others feed.

A regal male waterbuck looks over his back at a herd of approaching females. Another scene where being ready for a shot like this counts. This waterbuck was walking away from us, but I kept the camera focused on him hoping for him to stop and turn, and so he did.

Photographing this Tree Squirrel through the branches of a tree adds another dimension to the image and looks much more appealing than getting a clear shot of it without these two branches.

A Sparta male lion wakes up after his afternoon slumber on a very gloomy day.

One of the most beautiful leopards on the property at the moment in my opinion. White Dam’s male cub looking intently at a passing Francolin.